Liquid compositions for cleaning hard-surfaces have been disclosed in the art. Much of the focus for such compositions has been on providing outstanding cleaning performances on a variety of soils and surfaces and, more particularly, to provide improved performance on the removal of limescale.
Tap water contains a certain amount of solubilized ions which, upon water evaporation, eventually deposit salts, such as calcium carbonate, on hard-surfaces which are often in contact with water, resulting in an anesthetic aspect of the surfaces. This limescale formation and deposition phenomenon is even more acute in places where water is particularly hard.
It is known to use acidic compositions to clean hard surfaces and that such formulations show good overall cleaning performance and good limescale removal performance.
However, there are some limitations to the convenience of acidic compositions employed as hard surface cleaner. Indeed, it is known that some hard surfaces, such as enamel and several metals, e.g. stainless steel and aluminum, are sensitive to acids and may be severely damaged by acidic compositions used to clean said surfaces.
Thus, there is a constant need for the development of cleaning compositions which have improved cleaning performance, especially on greasy soap scum soils, and in the same time, having excellent limescale removal performance, without damaging the hard surface treated herein.
Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide compositions which are well adapted to treat delicate surfaces while delivering also improved cleaning performance, especially on greasy soap scum soils.
It has now been surprisingly found that the above objective is met by providing a liquid composition, having pH of 3 to 4, and comprising an acid agent having a pKa of 4 to 6. An essential feature of this composition is also that it contains a source of alkalinity.
Indeed, the composition of the present invention provides good cleaning performance, in particular, improved limescale removal performances, when applied to hard-surfaces without damaging the treated surface. Thus, an advantage of the present invention is that it provides improved cleaning performance, especially on greasy soap scum soils and on limescale, while being safe to hard surface, especially to delicate surfaces.
Indeed, an advantage of the present invention is that the liquid compositions show good stain/soil removal performance on various types of stains/soils in particular: greasy soils, e.g., greasy soap scum; limescale; mold; mildew; and other tough stains found on surfaces. In particular, the composition is safe to said surfaces while exhibiting a good cleaning performance on limescale-containing stains.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the composition is safe for the person who uses it, i.e., said composition is not too aggressive toward the human skin.
Advantageously, the composition of the present invention may be used on various delicate hard surfaces. Delicate surfaces are, for example, linoleum, plastic, plastified wood, metal, enamel or varnished surfaces. Enamel and plastic surfaces can be found in various places, e.g., in households: in kitchens (sinks and the like); in bathrooms (tubs, sinks, shower tiles, bathroom enamelware and the like) . . . . The composition of the present invention may also be used to clean hard surfaces made of a variety of materials like glazed and non-glazed ceramic tiles, stainless steel, Inox®, Formica®, aluminum, vinyl, no-wax vinyl, linoleum, melamine, all plastics and plastified wood. The composition of the present invention is advantageously used on delicate hard surface, more preferably on enamel, stainless steel and/or aluminum.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for cleaning hard surfaces, more specifically delicate hard surfaces, with the composition of the present invention. The process of the present invention provides outstanding limescale performance while being safe to the surface treated in the same tine with an improved cleaning performance, especially on greasy soap scum soils.